Just A Call Away
by tarin2014tfan
Summary: Injured in a fight, Mikey is unconscious in Donnie's lab. His brothers reflect on their baby brother, and realize they are never alone in life.


**Just A Call Away**

 **Disclaimer-** I do not own TMNT or any of the characters therein. Some VERY rich dude does.  
 **Rating -** Mature Audiences  
 **Story Warnings-** Emotional distress, Depression, Swearing, Anger issues, Heartache, Injury, T-cest (Don't like these topics? Do not read.)  
 **Pairings** -OT4 (Don't like? Do not read.)  
 **Universe-** 2007  
 **Ages-** Leo and Raph, 23 / Donnie and Mikey, 22 (I made them this age to account for time passage in the series storyline.)

 **Summary** \- Injured in a fight, Mikey is unconscious in Donnie's lab. His brothers reflect on their baby brother, and realize they are never alone in life.

 **Chapter credits** \- Song :  One Call Away by Charlie Puth

 _ **Bold Italics Print - Song Lyrics**_

 **Just A Call Away**

Donnie slipped silently from his lab. He paused at the doorway, glancing briefly back inside before moving away. His heart nearly shattered, seeing the pain his brother was suffering. Pain he could do nothing more to ease, having done all he could.

With a heavy sigh, the genius turned away from the slightly open door, heading for the kitchen. He knew there were only two people who could alleviate Raph's distress. Mikey, and Leo.

With Mikey lying unconscious in the lab, that left Leo.

 ** _I'm only one call away_**

Donnie found his oldest brother sitting at the kitchen table, staring off into space, a cold cup of tea, still full, sitting in front of him. The genius shook his head, and smiled. At least there was one brother whose distress he could ease.

 ** _I'll be there to save the day_**

"Want me to warm that for you?" he asked, pulling a clean mug from the shelf, and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

 _ **Superman got nothing on me**_

Leo looked down at the table, his eyes widened in surprise, seeing his untouched tea still sitting there.

"Umm, no thanks," Leo stood, pouring the cold liquid down the drain. "How is he?"

"Which one?"

A small smile curled the edges of Leo's mouth. "Mikey."

"He'll be fine as soon as the sedatives wear off," Donnie sipped at his coffee. "And most likely milking this for all it's worth for the next week."

"After the scare he gave us, I'd be happy to wait on him hand and foot for a few days."

Donnie joined his brother at the table. "How are YOU doing, Leo? Really?"

 ** _I'm only one call away_**

"I'm doing as good as I can be," Leo reached out taking Donnie's free hand. "I thought Mikey was dead. I think we all did."

It was a rare thing for Leo to be openly seeking comfort for himself when one of his brothers was hurt. The blue leader usually pushed his own needs aside to care for everyone else then, when the danger was past, his three brothers took care of their leader.

Donnie turned his arm, grasping his brother's hand with his own. "What do you need, Leo?"

 ** _Call me, baby, if you need a friend_**

The leaf green turtle looked up, eyes shining. "I don't know," Leo said softly. "I've never been so scared in my life, Donnie. Not any of the times we faced the Shredder. Not when we were held captive by the Triceratons. Not when we were searching for Master Splinter. I... I don't know what to do with this. I know Mikey will be fine. I KNOW it, but still..."

Donnie tilted his head, shifting to get a better look at his brother. He blinked. Leo was... crying? Leo NEVER cried. Leo got angry. Leo fought back. Leo conquered. Leo did NOT cry.

Leo was hurting far more than even the genius had suspected.

 ** _I just wanna give you love_**

Without thinking, Donnie left his chair. He wrapped his brother in his arms, pressing Leo's head to his plastron. He murmured loving words to his brother, kissing the top of Leo's head.

 ** _Come on, come on, come on_**

"It's alright, Leo. It's safe to let it out now. Mikey is going to be fine. We're still together."

 ** _Reaching out to you, so take a chance_**

Leo clung to Donnie, letting his tears fall unhindered. He knew it wasn't right. He was the leader. He was the one who was supposed to be comforting his brothers, not the other way around.

He couldn't help himself. When he had finally fought himself free of his attackers, and reached Mikey, his baby brother, the light in his life, lay in a growing pool of blood. He couldn't get that image out of his head, nor the one thought that had consumed him.

Mikey was dead.

Then from out of nowhere, there was Donnie. The genius had immediately went to work preforming the miracle of saving Mikey's life, something Leo, with all his skills, couldn't do. If not for the turtle standing beside him, Leo would have lost a big part of his soul.  
 ** _  
No matter where you go_**

Leo owed so much more than he could ever repay to his genius brother.

"Thank you," he mumbled against his brother's plastron. "If you hadn't been there, I... I don't know... what..."

"It's alright, Leo," Donnie pressed another kiss to his brother's head. "I WAS there. I DID stop the bleeding. And Mikey IS going to be fine."

Leo pulled back, looking up at his genius brother. He wanted to say so much to Donnie. Leo wanted to tell this gentle turtle how much he meant to him. How important the genius was in his life. The words didn't want to come.

The emotion Leo saw in those chocolate colored eyes, told the leaf green turtle words were not necessary. Donnie already knew.

"Leo, everything will be alright. I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. I'll always be here for you, Raph, and Mikey. I'm nothing more than a call away."

 ** _You know you're not alone_**

* * *

Raph's back ached from being hunched over, sitting in the chair. His stomach protested the lack of food for the past eighteen hours. His head hurt from the lack of sleep. The emerald turtle didn't care. He continued to glare at the monitor displaying his baby brother's strong, steady heartbeat. He wasn't going anywhere until Mikey woke up. For any reason! The world be damned!

Raph was so focused on the steady beep of the machine, he didn't hear the sound of the heavy lab door opening. He didn't smell the scent of food, wafting in on the slight breeze created when the door swung out. He didn't sense his oldest brother in the room until Leo was standing right beside him.

 ** _I'm only one call away_**

"I brought you something to eat," Leo placed the warm plate on the table Donnie kept beside the medical bed.

"Thanks," Raph mumbled, never taking his eyes off the monitor screen.

 ** _I'll be there to save the day_**

Leo placed a hand on Raph's shoulder, letting the brawler know he wasn't alone. He felt Raph tense at his touch, which was to be expected, given Raph's personality, but the fact the emerald turtle didn't pull away from his brother's touch, spoke volumes. Raph was hurting emotionally.

 ** _Superman got nothing on me  
_**  
Leo moved up, turning slightly. He slid his arm around Raph's shoulders, applying enough pressure for the emerald turtle to pick up on the invitation, but not enough so Raph would feel pressured into accepting comfort the emerald turtle didn't want.

"He's going to be fine," Leo said softly.

Raph leaned in, resting his shoulder against Leo's hip. There was no resistance when Leo cupped the side of Raph's head, gently pressing his emerald brother against his side.

 ** _I'm only one call away_**

Leo waited, simply letting his presence be as much comfort as possible.

Raph sniffed, cracks were beginning to form around the edges of his resolve.

 ** _Come along with me and don't be scared_**

"I was too slow," he muttered. "He got hurt because I was too damn slow."

Leo tightened his grip ever so slightly.

"When I got der, Mikey was on da ground. Donnie was workin' on 'im, an' you were keepin' 'em safe. Where was I?" he said angrily.

Raph tried to pull away. Leo tightened his hold, silently asking him not to.

 ** _I just wanna set you free_**

"You were fighting the majority of the ninja attacking us, Raph," Leo lightly stroked the side of his brother's head. "They went right for you."

"Doesn't matter. I shoulda been dere. Shoulda been watchin' his back. Should been protectin' 'im."

Leo sighed softly, giving his brother a sad smile. "You can't be everywhere, all the time."

 ** _Come on, come on, come one_**

"Didn't have ta be everywhere, Leo. I just had ta be watchin' my brother's back."

Leo surprised Raph when he stepped away from him, then further surprised the emerald turtle when he dropped to his knees right in front of him.

"Stop. This time, I was the one protecting our brothers. Last time, it was you. It's what we do. We protect them, Raphael. The two of us. Together."

 ** _You and me can make it anywhere_**

Raph scowled, blinking rapidly. He didn't want to hear what Leo had to say. He wanted to hear Mikey laugh. He didn't want to hear the calm logic his brother told him. He wanted to hear Mikey say his name.

"You don't get it, Leo! He almost DIED! We almost lost him! I almost lost him! How... how do I go on living without Mikey? Or Donnie? Or YOU!? I'd rather die myself than live in a world without my brothers!"

Leo didn't think, he reacted. He grabbed Raph, pulling the emerald turtle against him as tightly as he could.

 ** _For now, we can stay here for a while, ay_**

"I get it, Raph," he said over the sound of his brother crying. "I do. When I saw him lying there in that pool of blood, I knew I'd never hear the sound of Mikey's voice again. I knew he was dead, and something inside me died too. It felt like someone had ripped a piece of my soul out. I wanted them to hurt, just like I was. That's exactly what I did, right up until Donnie said Mikey was going to be alright."

Raph wanted to pull away. He wanted to run and hide. Hide his shame from everyone. His shame at failing Mikey, by not protecting the youngest turtle. His shame at failing Leo, for not being faster, stronger, better. His shame at crying, for being so weak.

He needed something, anything, to ease the pain he felt in his chest. The pain caused by the thought of losing his baby brother. When he had heard Mikey's cry of pain, Raph's blood froze in his veins. He had never fought so hard in his life. He had to get to Mikey. Had to save his baby brother. He couldn't do it. For every ninja he took out, it seemed two more took their place. The emerald turtle had been bleeding from dozens of wounds. Still he fought like a demon possessed.

The sight that met him after jumping the alley did nothing to ease his fears. Mikey lay as still as death with Donnie working fervently over him. Leo looked like an angel of death standing over them. His swords moving so fast, the images they left behind in their wake blurred into ethereal wings over Leo's shoulders. If not for the blue banded turtle, Raph would have lost not only Mikey, but Donnie as well.

 ** _No matter where you go_**

"Yer right, Leo," Raph tightened his arms around his brother, resting his head on Leo's shoulder. "We protect 'em together."

Leo smiled, kissing Raph's temple. "We're the oldest, Raph. We watch over them, and since I'm older, I watch out for you."

 ** _You know you're not alone_**

Raph sat up. "Who watches out for you, Leo?"

"The three of you," he smiled.

* * *

It was late. Donnie didn't need to look at the clock to know that. The change in the sounds of the sewers told him the time better than any timepiece constructed by man or turtle ever could. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the ache.

The genius knew he should try and get some sleep. Leo had offered to take over watching Mikey for a while as soon as the leaf green turtle got Raph tucked into bed. Donnie also knew trying to sleep would be nothing more than a waste of time. He could never sleep knowing one of his brothers was injured.

 ** _I'm only one call away_**

He moved over to the medical bed, checking on Mikey for the umpteenth time in the last two hours. This was the hardest part for the family medic, waiting. That was all anyone could do now, wait for Mikey to wake up. It was all up to the orange banded turtle now.

There was no doubt in Donnie's mind Mikey would wake up and be just fine, the olive turtle just had to wait. It still grated on the genius, though. Donnie wanted to fix things with action as much as any of his brothers. Raph fixed things physically, fighting, repairing. Leo fixed things mentally, strategizing, planning. Mikey fixed things emotionally, playing pranks, acting the goof.

Donnie fixed things by manipulating. He would replace broken parts, repair frayed wires, mix chemicals, adjust medications, splint broken bones, stitch wounds. Having no action to take stressed the olive turtle out as much as it did his emerald brother.  
 ** _  
I'll be there to save the day_**

Donnie lightly stroked his baby brother's forehead. He stared hard at Mikey, silently commanding the baby blue eyes to open, for Mikey to give him one of his trade mark goofy grins, asking if they'd won.

 ** _Superman got nothing on me_**

A single tear slid down Donnie's cheek. Absent mindedly, he brushed it away. The family medic had kept the seriousness of Mikey's injury to himself. He always did. Donnie saw no reason in worrying his family needlessly over something they could do nothing about. It had been bad. A major vein had been nicked. It was small, nothing to worry about if it had been in any other location on his brother's body. Easily repaired, if not for the constant spurt of his brother's blood obscuring his view of the wound. It had taken only a single stitch to close, small, tight, quick.  
 ** _  
I'm only one call away_**

"Mikey, please wake up. Tell me I wasn't too late. Tell me I got it in time. Please, little brother," Donnie struggled to keep the overwhelming emotion out of his voice, knowing once it came out, there would be no stopping it. "Tell me I didn't let your spirit die."

He failed. Donnie started to cry, softly at first. As his emotional dam slowly fell apart, the olive turtle began to cry in earnest, sobbing so hard Donnie found it difficult to catch his breath.

 ** _And when you're weak I'll be strong_**

"Breath, bro."

Donnie's breath hitched. Had he heard what he thought he heard?

 ** _I'm gonna keep holding on_**

"Deep breath, Don. In. Out."

Donnie cried out in joy. He caught himself at the last second, stopping himself from crushing his injured brother in a massive bear hug.

"You're awake! Leo! Raph! Sensei! Mikey's awake!" Donnie harshly rubbed his face. "You, you need anything? Thirsty? In pain? Hungry? I can get you whatever you need, little brother! Just name it!"

 ** _Now don't you worry, it won't be long, Darling_**

Mikey managed a small smile. "I'm good, Donnie," he shifted in the bed, wincing slightly. "As long as I know you're taking care of me, I'm always gonna be good."

Leo and Raph burst into the lab, followed closely by Splinter.

The brothers rushed the bed. "Mikey!" they shouted together. "You're awake!"

"My son!" Splinter grinned, taking Mikey's hand in his. "How do you feel?"  
 ** _  
And when you feel like hope is gone_**

"I been better," Mikey chuckled weakly. "But, thanks to my bros, I'm getting better by the sec."

Taking several minutes to assure himself his youngest son was going to be fine, Splinter excused himself, giving his sons some much needed time together.

"Don't ya EVER scare me like dat again, Mikey. Ya do, I'll beat ya so bad ya'll wish ya were dead."

 ** _Just run into my arms  
_**  
"I love you too, Raph."

The emerald turtle snorted, turning away to wipe a hand over his face.  
 ** _  
I'm only one call away I'll be there to save the day_**

"Can I get you anything, Mikey?" Leo asked, running a hand over the top of his brother's head. "I know how much you hate missing meals."

"Maybe some Doc Donnie approved soup?"  
 ** _  
Superman got nothing on me_**

Leo nodded, with a quick glance at Donnie before exiting the lab. The sounds of pots being shuffled around was soon heard coming from the kitchen.

Still smiling, Mikey reached out, taking Donnie's hand in his.  
 ** _  
I'm only one, I'm only one call away_**

"Go get some sleep, Don. I'm good," Mikey watched the expression on his olive brother's face, seeing the refusal building. "If I need you, I'll call you," he promised.

Donnie nodded, bent over to kiss Mikey tenderly, then quietly and quickly left the room.

 ** _I'll be there to save the day  
_**  
"Hey, Raph," Mikey raised his voice, drawing his emerald brother's attention.

"What!? Ya in pain? Need me ta get Donnie? Splinter?"

"No," Mikey chuckled. "Just can you go save my soup from Leo? I need to ask him to do me a favor."

 ** _Superman got nothing on me_**

"Sure, yeah, yeah. I'm on it."

Mikey silently counted the seconds until Leo rushed back into the room. The jokester grinned, less than ten. Leo broke his own record by three seconds.

"Raph said you needed me?" the oldest asked worriedly.

 ** _I'm only one call away_**

"Yeah, can you go sleep with Donnie? He's pretty messed up over me getting hurt."

Leo frowned, reluctant to leave his baby brother, but equally reluctant to refuse him.

"I'll have Raph stay with me in case I need something," Mikey promised. "But Donnie needs you more than me right now, please?"

Leo could never deny Mikey anything. "Sure," he pressed a kiss to Mikey's forehead. "Just remember..."

"Yeah, I know," Mikey interrupted. "I need you, just call."

Bringing Mikey his soup, Raph passed Leo in the hall. A few silent words let the emerald brawler know what was going on.

"Here ya go, bro," Raph said setting the soup on the table.

"Thanks," Mikey said softly.

Raph settled himself back down in one of the lab chairs, preparing to spend the night just in case Mikey needed something.

 ** _I'm only one call away_**

"Raphie..." Golden eyes snapped open. "Could you, maybe, snuggle with me? I... I was really scared there for a while, and... kinda still am."

Saying nothing, Raph lay down beside his baby brother, wrapping the smaller turtle in his arms.

"Thanks," Mikey mumbled, drifting off to sleep.

"Anything for you, Mike," Raph tenderly kissed his brother's cheek. "Whenever you need me, I'll just be a quick call away."

* * *

Thanks for reading.


End file.
